Singapore Orchid Specimen Banknotes Worthless??

On 19March 1977, this article appeared in the local newspaper....

                                                                            (extracts from The Straits Times)

Almost twelve years later, this brochure was handed out at the annual Singapore coin show........

thus putting a monetary value for all Singapore Specimen banknotes.

At a recent auction, the Specimen Orchid series album and the Bird series fetched more than S$2500 and S$2000 respectively.

My other modern era Specimen Notes.........

(ex-Spinks Singapore, 24th June 2000)

 

To add closure to this article, the thief was finally caught a few months later and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and in mitigation he said he was tempted and thought that he could use the money.

The Day That Thousands Found Their Money Worthless! ~ Banana Money

This article appeared in the local newspaper on the 10th October 1965, some twenty odd years after the Japanese Surrender, depicting the anxiety of the peoples' monetary issue.

(Extracts from The Straits Times)

(from my personal collection)

Between late 1944 or early 1945 the British Forces began airdropping these propaganda leaflets, using the face of the $10 banana note of the Japanese Invasion money as its design, informing the public of the abrogation of the banana money.

This piece with serial numbers is from the First Series of Banana Note issued by  Yokohama Specie Bank around early 1942 .

Subsequently, around September 1942 the Second Series were issued and they do not have any serial numbers at all.

When first issued these were on par with the then $1Straits Dollar but towards the end of the war $240,000 banana money was the exchange price for $1 Straits Dollar.

Something odd happened in May 1946.......................................................................

This article was extracted from the Straits Times dated 24th May 1946.

Could anyone enlighten us why the Malayan Union were selling these worthless notes to the public again just nine months after the Japanese Surrender.

I wonder how many banana notes can be bought for $100 Malayan currency?

Do they include the serial numbered ones as well as the propaganda notes?

Well, if you had bought some and hopefully it includes the propaganda notes..............then you may be in the money, so to speak!

In an internet auction of June 2003, a similar $10 propaganda note shown above fetched a price of US$510.00 for a EF grade and at a recent auction 5pcs of the serial numbered $10 banana notes in fine to good fine grades were sold for US$100.00!

WORTHLESS????

$25 banknote.............Beautiful but Odd???

Considered one of the most beautiful and odd banknote ever issued by the Board of Commissioner of Currency, Singapore  on 7th August 1972.

The note was introduced to meet a need for an intermediate denomination between the $10 and $50 note. Sadly, it was to be withdrawn some years later because of its odd denomination. :(

Why odd, you may asked.....................

The first prefix number and with a slightly offset numeral.

                                                   A replacement note

                                  The so called "Yellow Paper" Variety type.

Thick & Thin Signature Variety

.........................................probably because a certain group of people had difficulty in doing mental arithmetic when confronted with this denomination.

                                    Do you fall under this group?

             A simple test............... :p  What is 25.00 minus 17.75.................

     Hmmm...how many seconds or minutes did you take to get the correct answer?

During my NS days in the 70's, our salaries were paid in cash and with this denomination.......Guess what? The pay officer handed us 5pcs and said this equals to One Hundred Dollars and continued doing so, even when we told him that it was incorrect.Finally after paying off a few of us did he realised his mistake, and had to make us return the money...........

If you are that officer reading this...............have a good laugh and Thank God you could ROD as an officer!

Did you notice.............there is an absence of the name of the Orchid on the note. An article in The Straits Times dated 1st February 1973 mentioned it. After that, I think someone in BCCS woke up and Wham! all other series notes issued have their relevant bird, ship and even portrait names printed.

Certain Extracts from The Straits Times)

$25 Orchid name: Renanthopsis Aurora